Anita Ojeda December brings with it a desire for all things cozy Christmas–fires, books, (cheesy) Christmas movies, and Christmas music from October to January. You’ll love this new release audio book, the perfect companion to a day of baking.
I receive free electronic advanced reader copies of these books through an arrangement between the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion on NetGalley’s website. I only review books on my blog that I really love.
What’s Your Dream of a Cozy Christmas?
I’ve always imagined living in a small town where just about everyone knows everyone else. You know, like Jan Karon’s Mitford or Julie Klassen’s Ivy Hill. But, alas, I’ve always lived out in the sticks or in a town where I didn’t even know my neighbors. Something about small towns, friendly people, and Christmas equals cozy in my book.
Wrapped Up in Christmas Joy
by Janice Lynn, Hallmark Publishing, October 2020, 336 pages (8 hours, 17 minutes in Audible).
This cozy Christmas romance evokes the spirit of a smalltown Christmas in Kentucky. Sophie Davis owns a quilt shop and finds joy in sewing. But her real passion involves sewing quilts for the Quilts of Valor project. When she discovers a former Marine’s personal journal in a box of church donations, she can’t stop herself from reading it.
What she reads breaks her heart. And in many ways, it heals her heart as well as answers questions about her father’s experiences. Sophie wants to befriend the Marine and takes the journal to the firehouse where he works. There she discovers he never wants to see the journal or her ever again.
Cole Aaron can’t believe he accidentally donated his journal to the church rummage sale. Even worse, Sophie Davis shows up on the firehouse doorstep to return it to him. His mortification is complete. He never wants to see her again, because he hates pity.
But she keeps showing up in his life, and the meddling old biddies of town keep throwing them together. Cole and Sophie call a truce when they end up partners for the annual Christmas toy drive. Despite Cole’s resistance to all things Sophie, she starts to get under his skin with her joyful approach to life.
This is the second book in a series about Pine Hill and Quilts of Valor. Told from both Sophie and Cole’s perspectives by a male and a female narrator, the story makes the perfect companion to baking Christmas cookies or stringing lights. It’s G-rated enough for the whole family to enjoy on a long car trip to Grandma’s house, too.
